Missouri created 84,700 new jobs over the 12 months ended in December, according to seasonally adjusted estimates released Tuesday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Missouri’s nonfarm payroll employment was about 3.08 million in December, up from about 3 million in the same month in 2023. That represented a 2.8% increase, tied with South Carolina for the second-highest growth in the nation, after Idaho.
Total nonfarm employment in Missouri increased by 11,200 from November. The state’s 0.4% monthly growth was the highest in the nation.
Missouri's trade, transportation and utilities sector grew by 5,700 jobs from November to December, highest of any sector in the state. Education and health care services added 2,800 jobs in the month. Construction experienced the largest employment declines, losing 1,300 jobs in December from a month earlier.
The state's unemployment rate was 3.7% in December, the same as it was in November. A year earlier unemployment was 3.3%. The national unemployment rate in December was 4.1%.
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